Ethan Hawke is experiencing a remarkable career resurgence. With the critically acclaimed Boyhood and the mind-bending sci-fi thriller Predestination, directed by the Spierig Brothers, Hawke is solidifying his place as a leading man with a penchant for complex and thought-provoking roles. In Predestination, Hawke portrays a time-traveling agent tasked with preventing future crimes, leading audiences on a thrilling and emotionally resonant journey. In a press interview in Beverly Hills, Ethan Hawke delves into his creative process for selecting roles, his collaboration with the Spierig Brothers, and his personal reflections on the concept of time travel, stating, “we are all traveling through time, all the time.”
Re-Teaming with the Spierig Brothers: Trust and Vision
Hawke’s decision to star in Predestination was heavily influenced by his previous collaboration with the Spierig Brothers on Daybreakers. He explains, “I made Daybreakers with these guys and I just believed in them.” Hawke emphasizes his ability to recognize talent and dedication in filmmakers, noting, “I’ve been doing this long enough to recognize a certain look in somebody’s eye and they had this sensibility of people who are going to make great films. They work so hard and care about every detail. They obsess about every situation.” His positive experience on Daybreakers, coupled with his perception of the Spierig Brothers’ potential, made him eager to work with them again, anticipating even greater projects in their future.
Their initial meeting for Daybreakers stemmed from an unconventional source: the Spierig Brothers’ low-budget cult film, Undead. Hawke recounts, “They made a really strange movie called Undead which they made with their friend for about five dollars and their own computer. It has a little cult following and my brothers really liked it so I’d seen it and when they came to me with Daybreakers, I knew who they were.” Impressed by their resourcefulness and creativity, Hawke was further charmed by their innovative approach to casting. “They’re so good with playing with computers they did a little mock-up of me as Jess in Before Sunset as a vampire and I immediately liked them,” he shares, highlighting their blend of technical skill and playful creativity.
Embracing the Unconventional Narrative of Predestination
When discussing his approach to portraying his character in Predestination, Hawke emphasizes the importance of contributing to the overall success of the film. “Part of the way that I work is making sure that it is going to be a good movie,” he states. He acknowledges the narrative complexity of Predestination, describing it as “a really hard movie storytelling-wise. I mean, it’s extremely original, but whenever you’re doing something original it’s easy to fail because you’re not walking down terrain that hasn’t been walked a lot.” This originality, however, was a key draw for Hawke.
He admired the film’s unapologetically unique nature, contrasting it with more conventional, demographic-focused filmmaking. “One of the things I really liked about this movie is that it is unapologetically weird. Most movies now are trying to please a certain demographic, and this movie is really just original. It’s is own voice,” Hawke asserts. He credits the genius of Robert Heinlein, the author of the source material, for this distinctive voice. Hawke appreciates science fiction’s capacity to explore profound philosophical themes in an accessible and engaging manner, noting, “science fiction in general, at its best, has an ability to talk about deeply philosophical themes without being pretentious or boring.”
Loneliness and Identity: Core Themes Explored Through Time Travel
Hawke identifies loneliness as a central and defining characteristic of his Predestination role. “For me, what was unique about the character was the loneliness. I really felt that this is a deeply, deeply lonely person,” he reflects. He connects the character’s transgender aspect to this profound sense of isolation, suggesting it amplifies the universal experience of feeling disconnected. “The transgender aspect of the character is so interesting. All of us, to lesser or greater extents, have felt alone. And when you feel alone, like you don’t belong, it can be very painful. If you felt alone all the time, if you really had no home and no family, there would be a deep loneliness to it.”
While Hawke delved into the emotional core of his character, he also acknowledges the pivotal role of Sarah Snook’s performance. “But, of course, the lion’s share of the performance of this movie fell on Sarah. She just give such a phenomenal performance and you know our performance are tied together,” he emphasizes. He draws a parallel to his experience in Gattaca with Jude Law, recognizing the significance of introducing audiences to fresh talent. “I remember when was doing Gattaca, it was Jude Law’s first big film. It was fun to be a part of introducing the world to Jude because he’s such a special performer and I felt the same way about Sarah.” Hawke underscores the risky yet crucial decision to cast an unknown actress in such a demanding role, stating, “The movie hinged on an unknown actress giving a dynamite performance. She couldn’t be known or the twist would be screwed and she needed to be great.”
The Dance of Masculine and Feminine Energies
Hawke elaborates on the complex interplay of masculine and feminine energies within the narrative, describing it as a “dance.” He reflects, “In a way, it was something very, very beautiful in the movie, which is about masculine and feminine at war with itself, hunting itself. You can make a case that that’s to be true of all of us and that until will find some balance we’re going to keep traveling through space and time hurting ourselves. Something about the movie stumbles upon something really rich to me.” This observation suggests a deeper, metaphorical interpretation of the time travel element, linking it to internal conflicts and the search for personal harmony.
Although Sarah Snook reportedly undertook extensive research into gender theory for her role, Hawke indicates his understanding was more experiential and philosophical. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that over the course of my life. It’s interesting, I think a lot of the best writing really does deal with that,” he states. He also expresses admiration for Snook’s performance, particularly given the genre context, “The hard thing for her is that she’s giving this unbelievable performance and it’s a genre film. If this was a small little movie about a transgender person she would win awards for this, but because the concept of the movie is so huge, you know science fiction never wins awards.” This highlights the often-underappreciated depth and complexity within science fiction cinema.
Predestination vs. Free Will: A Timeless Question
Hawke delves into the philosophical underpinnings of Predestination, particularly the tension between predetermined paths and the illusion of free will. Referencing press notes, he reiterates his view, “you said that in our past, we are predetermined to do what we did, yet we always have the avenues of the future. That the idea of the past is predetermined.” He elaborates on the character’s seemingly inescapable temporal loop, “Definitely. It seems like he is in this rut of this “figure-eight” in time that he can’t break out of. Its interesting, you know, why can’t you change it? And that’s how I often feel.”
He connects this cinematic concept to relatable human experiences of indecision and the subsequent feeling of inevitability in hindsight. “We all have certain nights where we can’t sleep, you don’t know what to do whether it’s a relationship, job decision, life decision, whatever it is. You have no idea which way you’re going to go. And two years later, it was so obvious that you were going to go the way you went. Why is that? Why does it feel like our life is walking on a razor’s edge? And then in hindsight, it’s like “Oh obviously!” It’s so strange. Somehow the movie always makes me think about that.”
Hawke also points to the film’s broader existential questions, quoting the memorable line, “I know who I am. Who are all you zombies?” He explains its significance, “I don’t want to ruin it, but why are we all so asleep? We’re not asking ourselves these questions about why we’re born, who our ancestors are and where we’re going. That’s the part about Robert Heinlein that I just love. That line is right out of the short story.” This underscores the film’s ambition to not only entertain but also to provoke introspection about fundamental aspects of human existence.
Time as a Recurring Motif in Hawke’s Filmography
The interview naturally transitions to Hawke’s broader relationship with the theme of time, particularly in light of his work in Boyhood and the Before trilogy. Hawke himself acknowledges this connection, interjecting, “Which is a time travel movie in and of itself,” when Boyhood is mentioned. He affirms his ongoing fascination with the subject, “Maybe it’s just because I started acting young, that it’s just something I constantly think about. I think I found a peer in Richard Linklater. I mean, he obsesses about it too.”
He recalls a youthful awareness of time’s significance, even in seemingly small decisions, “But, I’ll never forget even as a young person deciding what college to go to, realizing that it was the first decision that I was going to make that was going to be on my obituary. [Laughs] It’s this thing we get a finite amount of and we don’t know what it is, yet everything is in relation to it.” This perspective highlights a lifelong contemplation of time’s fleeting and impactful nature.
Hawke extends his contemplation of time to encompass the enduring power of art, referencing his experience with Shakespearean theater. “I’m even fascinated on the opposite side of it in terms of longevity. I mean, getting to work on Shakespeare plays. It’s fascinating to be on stage and getting a laugh with a five hundred year old joke. [Laughs] It almost feels like time travel.” He describes a sense of temporal continuity, connecting past and present audiences through shared laughter at timeless humor. “Theres a couple of jokes in Macbeth, which I did last year, and the audience laughed at this line. And then you start picturing the thousands of audiences through time laughing. He murders the king, and this guy comes out and he says “‘Twas a rough night” and then he says “Twas a rough night.” It’s really weird. It makes you feel like you’re part of this time continuity.” He concludes by reiterating the central theme of Predestination, “And that’s what I think something about Predestination, the movie, is getting at. That we are all traveling through time, all the time. But, the nice thing about science fiction is that it lets you talk about it in a fun way, as opposed to a preachy way. And, the beauty of Boyhood, is that it almost doesn’t talk about it at all. It just presents it.”
Regarding the sustained audience and critical appreciation for Boyhood, Hawke expresses gratitude and acknowledges its unique resonance. “Yeah, I remember thinking last year it was funny when Before Midnight came out, I’d never had such a well-reviewed film. But, by the end of the year, there were so many other movies that were coming out and it’s a very small, little, delicate movie. It was hard for [Boyhood] to stay in the conversation about the year’s best because, let’s face it, in December, all the movies for grown-ups come out. But, at the same time, you don’t make movies to win prizes, you make movies to connect with audiences and that’s definitely happening, so that’s been beautiful. As much as the movie speaks to parents, it also speaks to young people. We worked on that movie for twelve years, so nothing’s going to take the smile off of my face about that movie.”
Gut Instinct and the Pursuit of Originality in Role Selection
Finally, Hawke provides insight into his role selection process, emphasizing intuition and the pursuit of originality. “It’s probably the most important moment of an actor’s life and it’s probably the one thing you can’t go to school for. How do you choose? As actors were only as good as our opportunities. Which thing is too challenging? Which thing is not challenging enough? I’ve kind of just flown by the seed of my pants for twenty-five or thirty years. Something about my gut lets me know whether or not it would be rewarding for me to try to do.” He highlights the inherent risk in choosing projects, particularly Predestination with its complex narrative, “In this particular case, if I didn’t know Michael and Peter, I would have thought the script was too unyielding. The target is very small for this movie. There is a lot of things that can go wrong in telling this story, but I really respect them and think they’re so smart. They’re original.”
Hawke reiterates his admiration for the Spierig Brothers’ distinct style and vision, “They’re original. They have this love of 70s genre movies and, in a sort of way, it feels like a throwback, but they’re using it in a modern way and I’m really impressed with them.” The originality of Predestination and the opportunity to collaborate with the Spierig Brothers made the decision to take on the role straightforward. “For me, this was an easy decision to make. I really believe in Peter and Michael and they’re giving me a really fascinating character and a chance to make an original movie. [Laughs] I mean my wife read the script and she was like “What just happened?” I’m doing this movie! Don’t try and talk me out of it, I love this movie! And, thats how I felt about it. I rarely get the chance to be a part of anything original.”
He concludes by acknowledging the diverse motivations behind his project choices, ranging from learning opportunities in Shakespeare to exploring real-life figures in biopics. He admits the role selection process is often unpredictable and involves navigating competing priorities and missed opportunities. However, in a lighthearted closing remark, he circles back to the overarching theme of Predestination, “[Laughs] It’s all predestined, yes,” suggesting a playful acceptance of the unpredictable nature of both time and career paths.
